Simple & Inexpensive Wedding
Reception Decorating Ideas

Decorations for your wedding reception can take up a huge chunk of your wedding budget. Depending on where the ceremony and reception are to be held - and how big of an affair you are planning - will determine how many decorations you'll need and the cost. Here is some advice on how you can cut back on some of the expenses.

Flowers are usually a first choice for decorations. However they can get quite expensive. If you want to cut wedding costs, choose single flower centerpieces for tables and place them in tall, stylish vases with a scattering of flower petals or beads on the table.

Of course, before you decide on any type of wedding decoration, you should first decide on what the theme of your wedding will be (even if it's just based on a wedding color scheme or floral preferences.) In this way you can coordinate your colors and theme idea with your decorating choices. This makes planning what to use for your wedding reception decorating ideas much easier.

Reception decorations do not need to be overly expensive either. In fact, creating your own favors and decorations can save you quite a bit of money in the long run. There are many good decorating books for weddings available at Amazon (at discounted prices) that walk you step-by-step through beautiful craft projects.

A Variety of Wedding Reception Decorating Ideas

Here are some quick and simple ideas to get your creative juices flowing. Just add you own unique touches to match these wedding reception decorations with your own theme celebration:

• Candles are a great favorite and they set a warm mood. You can use large pillar candles, floating candles in a nice bowl, a collection of votive candles in holders of different heights, taper candles, or perhaps tealights surrounding a single flower vase. Another popular choice are gel candles with theme items displayed within the candle.
• Balloon bouquets are always nice. For a fraction of the cost of flowers, you can decorate the whole room, including tables, with small and large bouquets.
• Use garlands, streamers, ribbons, and tulle to swag along table fronts, doorways, or across the ceiling.
• The bridal bouquet and those of the bridesmaids can be placed along the front of the head table as extra flower decorations.
• String small, twinkling mini-lights across the ceiling, in bare branch trees, or entwined with garland to give ambience to any reception hall.